Winter 2 0 0 8 • Volume 1 1 , Issue1
A Publication of the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League
Electrical Test Instruments, Inc.
Westminster, Maryland
By Karen Clark
S
tandards and testing have been a
hallmark of PEARL since the beginning of the organization more than
10 years ago.
One of the few companies in the U.S.
to provide equipment for testing and calibration is Electrical Test Instruments, Inc.
of New Windsor, Maryland.
ETI, Inc. is an affiliate PEARL
member and strives to uphold the PEARL
mission of creating a marketable distinction in quality, safety and integrity within
the industry.
“One of the advantages of being a
PEARL member is to be able to understand
the market that I provide our services to
and to have a good working relationship
to be able to provide services and product
to them,” said ETI owner Ken McComas.
The business began in Feb., 1992
and has evolved into a 12,000 sq. ft. area
located in an industrial park about 45
miles from Washington, D.C.
The customer base encompasses
both the U.S. and Canada and expansion
plans are developing for Mexico, South
America, China and India.
“We are looking at pretty much a
wide-range market except for Europe. It
is easier now to export and import products and the regulations are easier outside
Europe where they have tighter specifications,” said McComas.
ETI manufactures breaker test sets
used primarily for verification of circuit
breakers. The equipment is used in a variety
of applications by recyclers, commercial business and NETA contractors who
provide testing for preventative maintenance in electrical distribution systems.
“We do a lot of work for electrical
•REMEMBER•
Only product bearing the PEARL
Quality Seal (blue or green) offers
assurance that the product has been
reconditioned or inspected and tested
to PEARL Standards.
manufacturers like GE, SquareD, Cutler“The primary market in our expertise
Hammer and Siemens. We also do utility
is on-site or calibration at the customer
work and provide circuit breaker testers
facility. Technicians travel to the equipfor the utility industry and petrochemical
ment and verify they have met the qualifiplants,” said McComas.
cation. We also provide training on using
In addition, full service calibration and
the breaker testing kits,” said McComas.
repair laboratory facilities are available.
Specialized field instruments include:
ETI has been an affiliate PEARL
circuit breaker test sets (up to 100,000
member for more than four years. Prior to
amps.), ac/dc high potential test sets (up
membership, they were contacted for inforto 120,000 volts), protective relay test
mation on calibration and provided guidesets, megohmmeters, watt-hour stanlines for some of the PEARL standards.
dards, power analyzers, ground resis“We are unique. We have two operating
tance testers, transformer turns ratio test
business – one division that does nothing but
sets, low resistance ohmmeters, all types
maintenance, calibration and repair of test
digital voltmeters, digital voltmeters to
equipment and another that manufacturers
6_ digit, volt-ohmmeters, phase angle
the breaker test sets,” said McComas.
meters, harmonics meters, ac/dc current
Testing equipment is a safety buffer
clamp-on meters, temperature, all types,
which guarantees electrical equipment
pressure air to 300 psi, pressure oil to
to perform in the designed capacity. Any
5,000 psi, vacuum gauges, tachometers
deviation from the acceptable param(mechanical/photo), oscilloscopes to
eters can spell disaster, a fact always on
500mhz, and function generators. n
the horizon for ETI and their
technicians.
“The liability if the
equipment did not perform
correctly could range from
a nuisance problem, inconvenience to customers or as
serious as death and major
property
damage,”
said
McComas.
The staff of 15 employees
at ETI are working towards
establishing more of a full
range of test equipment for
the industry to provide new
development of equipment
as well as enhancements and
Ross Fitch (left) and Jim Schweizer (right)
accoutrements to existing
of Electrical Test Instruments, Inc.
products.
PEARLNEWS • Winter 2008
Headquarters
President’s Message
4255 South Buckley Road, #118
Aurora, CO 80013
Phone: (877) AT-PEARL (877) 287-3275
Fax: (888) 996-3296
E-mail: pearl@pearl1.org
Web: www.pearl1.org
By Bill Schofield
The mission of PEARL:
Create a marketable distinction in quality, safety,
and integrity for PEARL members in the eyes of their
customers.
PEARL Officers & Directors
Bill Schofield, President
Brian Corekin, Vice President
Malcom Frederick, Secretary
Mike Pennell, Treasurer
Mike Nightingale, Past President
David Rosenfield, Director
Don Oldroyd, Director
PEARL Newsletter Contributing Editors
David Rosenfield
Karen Clark
Association Management
Mark Stone, Manager
Karen Clark, Editor
Valri Blasi Kaleda, Newsletter Design
Advertising
Size and Member Rates
Business Card*, 3½" x 2"
Third page*, 5" x 3"
Half page*, 7½" x 4¾"
Full page, 8" x 10½"
1 X
$135
$240
$300
$450
2 X
$122
$216
$270
$408
3 X
$115
$204
$255
$390
4X
$108
$192
$240
$375
I
hope everyone
is reading the
newsletters
and visiting the
website for information on the May
Conference.
PEARL is constantly
growing and evolving and we must
all be a part of it. We hit 50 full
members recently! And since there
were 56 signers to the Declaration of
Independence, that is my new membership goal for 2008. Let’s all try to find
a new member. There is strength in
numbers!
And we are getting our message out
there. I suspect that one of these recent
new members joined PEARL because
there was a pending utility request for
quote/bid that gave weight to whether
the bidder was a PEARL member or
not. Many PEARL members had asked
this company to join, as they were
quality guys, but they never saw the
value. That is the hidden beauty of the
message. Customers get safer, better
products and our members should get
to sell more equipment. It is a win-win
for everyone.
The board and many others are
working to help get our message out
and further the interests of all of our
*Horizontal or vertical ads accepted
Size and Non-Member Rates
Business Card*, 3½" x 2"
Third page*, 5" x 3"
Half page*, 7½" x 4¾"
Full page, 8" x 10½"
1 X
$225
$400
$500
$750
2 X
$203
$360
$450
$680
3 X
$192
$340
$425
$650
4X
$180
$320
$400
$625
In This Issue
Industry News................................. 3–4
Making the Grade. ............................... 5
*Horizontal or vertical ads accepted
NEMA Conference .............................. 6
PEARL News is a quarterly publication of the
Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League.
Submission of industry-related articles is encouraged.
©2008, PEARL
New Members...................................... 7
Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the
author(s) of the articles, not necessarily the publisher.
Although every attempt has been made to assure
that published information is accurate, the publisher
cannot be held responsible for omissions or errors, nor
for the application of any suggestions or advise in any
particular situation. The publisher reserves the right to
edit all submissions for content and size.
2
Tech Talk. .......................................... 7
PEARL: Getting Rid of Our
“Best-Kept-Secret” Status................. 8
Committee Reports. .......................... 8–9
Membership Roster
Winter 2008.............................10–11
11th Electrical Safety and Reliability
Conference & Exhibition................... 12
member companies. Don’t forget that
we need everyone’s help.
As we approach the start of the
New Year I always seem to “resolve” to
do about five things that will make me
better. And on a good year I do one,
maybe two. Sure some of them are hard
like exercising and eating right (my
favorite things are the worst things) and
well, beer is good. But some things can
be easy - like doing more business with
fellow PEARL members.
Let’s all resolve to get a little more
out of PEARL by putting a little more
into it and I think this will make 2008
even better. Also, don’t forget to make
your conference reservations early.
Thanks. n
15th Annual IEEE IAS
Electrical Safety Workshop
…an international forum for changing
the electrical safety culture and serving
to advance application of technology,
work practices, codes and regulations
to prevent electrical incidents and
injuries in the workplace…
Products & Services Exposition
Expert Presentations
In Depth Tutorials
and more
Hyatt Regency Dallas
Dallas, Texas
March 18-21, 2008
Register Early!
For information and online registration,
check our website at
www.ewh.ieee.org/cmte/ias-esw
PEARLNEWS • Winter 2008
Industry News
Connecticut Electric Recalls
Counterfeit Square D Circuit
Breakers Due To Fire Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation with the firm named below,
today announced a voluntary recall of the
following consumer product. Consumers
should stop using recalled products
immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Counterfeit
“Square D” Circuit Breakers
Units: About 64,000
Distributor: Connecticut Electric &
Switch Mfg. Co. (Connecticut Electric),
of Puyallup, Wash.
Hazard: The recalled circuit breakers
labeled “Square D” are counterfeit and
could fail to trip when they are required
to, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries:
Connecticut
Electric has not received any report of
incidents or injuries associated with these
counterfeit circuit breakers.
Description: The counterfeit circuit
breakers are black and are marked as
Square D products. Connecticut Electric
has identified the following breakers
as possibly being counterfeit: QO115,
QO120, QO140, QO2125, QO215,
QO220, QO230, QO240, QO250, QO260,
QO1515, QO2020, QO3100, QO320,
QO330, QO340, QO360, QOB120,
QOB130, QOB220, QOB230, QOB250,
QOB330, and QOB360. Actual Square D
circuit breakers have (a) the amp rating
written on the handle in white paint on
the front of the breaker; (b) the Square
D insignia molded onto the breaker side,
and; (c) a yellow chromate mounting clip
with half of the top of the clip visible. If
your Square D breaker does not match
this description, it could be counterfeit.
Sold through: Electrical Distributors
and hardware stores nationwide from
February 2005 through August 2006 for
between about $6.50 and $15.50.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should contact
Connecticut Electric to determine if the
breaker they have is counterfeit and if
necessary, to arrange for a free inspection
and replacement or refund.
Consumer Contact: For more information, Call Connecticut Electric at
(866) 264-3702 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ET Monday through Friday or visit the
company’s Web site at www.connecticutelectric.com. Consumers also can obtain
additional information by emailing
Connecticut Electric at bdunham@
connecticut-electric.com. n
Square D Discovers Counterfeit
Circuit Breakers in the Inventory
of Breakers Unlimited
PALATINE, Ill. — Square D , best known
in the United States as the flagship brand
for the Schneider Electric North American
Operating Division, announced in late
October that it has uncovered tens of
thousands of counterfeit Square D circuit
breakers in the inventory of Breakers
Unlimited of Noblesville, Indiana. The
counterfeit circuit breakers, all bearing
trademarks registered to Square D, were
discovered by Square D during the prosecution of its lawsuit against Breakers
Unlimited in the U.S. District Court in
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
3
PEARLNEWS • Winter 2008
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
Indianapolis. The lawsuit asserts that
Breakers Unlimited, a nationwide wholesale distributor of electrical equipment,
has knowingly sold counterfeit Square D
circuit breakers and has infringed Square
D's trademarks in violation of federal law.
Sources independent of Breakers
Unlimited have confirmed the majority of
the counterfeit circuit breakers discovered
in Breakers Unlimited's Noblesville warehouse were sold to Breakers Unlimited
by Pioneer Breaker & Control Supply of
Austin, Texas. Of the more than 50,000
products acquired by Breakers Unlimited
from Pioneer Breaker & Control since
May 2005, more than 20,000 have been
sold in the field by Breakers Unlimited,
who has told Square D it has no way to
determine from its records to whom it
sold the products.
“Counterfeit products are inferior in
quality and pose risks to the public. They
can fail to trip in the event of an overload or a short circuit, thereby creating
a risk of fire. Anyone choosing to deal
in the marketplace where these counterfeit goods are sold is potentially putting
people and property in danger,” said Bill
Snyder, vice president of channel development at Square D.
To prevent the potential purchase of
counterfeit products, purchases should be
made from authorized Square D distributors, who have the skill, expertise and
know-how to provide customers with
authentic Square D products and services
that meet their needs and specifications.
Square D is a market-leading global
brand of Schneider Electric for National
Electrical Manufacturing Association
(NEMA) type electrical distribution and
industrial control products, systems and
services. Square D products are found in
all types of residential, commercial and
industrial construction, in a wide range
of manufacturing and processing facilities, and in or on the products of other
manufacturers.
Any inquiries relating to the lawsuit
should be directed to Stephen Litchfield,
assistant general counsel, Square D
Company, Palatine, Illinois at (847)
925-3516.
About Schneider Electric
Headquartered in Palatine, Ill., the North
American Operating Division of Schneider
4
Electric had sales of $3.7 billion (U.S.) in
2006. The North American Operating
Division is one of four operating divisions
of Schneider Electric, headquartered in
Paris, France, and markets the Square D,
Telemecanique and Merlin Gerin brand
products to customers in the United
States, Canada and Mexico.
In the United States, Schneider
Electric is best known by its flagship
Square D brand, with
Telemecanique becoming increasingly known in the industrial control
and automation markets and supported
by many Square D distributors. For more
than 100 years, Square D has been a
market-leading brand of electrical distribution and industrial control products,
systems and services.
Schneider Electric is a global electrical industry leader with 2006 sales of
approximately $17.2 billion (U.S.). n
DSII Power Breakers to Be
Classified as Aftermarket
Effective January 1, 2008 the DSII
power breaker is being classified as an
aftermarket product.
Aftermarket status means current
unit volume is not at a level to allow
continued investments in product development or operations.
The DSII will continue to be manufactured for several years. Eaton will
support customers and the large DSII
installed base with a broad range of solutions that include:
n New DSII breakers and accessories
for use as replacements and for OEMs
building new or add-on equipment.
n Prices will increase through changes in
list price and discounts that average 20
percent.
n For New DSII Replacement Break-
ers for OEM equipment, contact the
Low Voltage Component Division at
1-800-222-9773
n For New DSII for use in Eaton-Man-
ufactured Low Voltage Switchgear
assemblies (Westinghouse, CutlerHammer, Eaton brands), contact the
Aftermarket Center in Asheville, NC at
1-800-257-3278
n Genuine renewal parts and accessories
n For ALL genuine parts and accessories,
contact the Low Voltage Component
Division at 1-800-222-9773
n Field and factory authorized service
through Eaton’s Electrical Services &
Systems
n Trip unit system upgrades through
Eaton’s Electrical Services & Systems
(including Arc Flash Reduction Maintenance System™)
n For information on Digitrip Retrofit
Kits or the Arc flash Reduction Maintenance System, call the Retrofit Kit
Hotline at 1-800-937-5487 n
PEARLNEWS • Winter 2008
Making the Grade
By Karen Clark
A
middle-school
teacher
who
stepped out of the classroom
more than 20 years ago is now
the owner of several successful business
ventures in the southern California and
Phoenix areas.
Gary Bernard, owner of Bernard &
Sons in Van Nuys, California and also
a partner in A. Breaker Co. in Phoenix
and Bernard Inland Distribution Control
in North San Diego, said he has never
regretted his decision to leave the desks
and chalkboard behind.
Bernard, now 60, was on the fast track
in the mid 1980s to become a lead administrator in the Los Angeles Unified School
District. An English as a Second Language
specialist, Bernard set up a program within
the district to help Southeast Asian refugees learn how to speak English.
He was placed on the administrative
list to soon become a principal and was
the union representative for the district.
However, a legislative move that cut state
property taxes and consequently school
funding, would turn his life upside down.
Ironically, it would be one of the rules
he initiated as a union representative that
would be the final nudge to consider
other options. As a policy maker for the
school union, Bernard came up with what
he thought was a fair plan to divvy up
the hours for summer school from year
to year. Under the guideline, no one who
taught summer school the previous year
would be eligible for the following year.
So, a double whammy hit when the state
funding for the ESL program was pulled
during the same time frame he was ineligible for summer session.
“I made the administrative list, was
at the top of the profession and I couldn’t
even get a job teaching summer school. It
was crazy,” said Bernard.
It was during a quiet night out at
the movies that Bernard ran into a family
member who offered him a job selling
circuit breakers.
“He said I could keep 20 percent of
all the business I would bring in. All I
knew about electric at the time was Ben
Franklin and his key,” said Bernard.
Describing himself as “a little bit
unusual,” Bernard said he accepted the job
preneur, marketing product from his
father’s garage and then moving onto
a rental home and a bigger garage.
“Then I added another shop and
another shop. Now, I’m okay,” he said
with his unique sense of humor.
Today, the business still deals
primarily in circuit breakers but
as branched out to include a wellMarco, Dennis, Michelle, Aryeh and Wally
rounded offering of switchgear.
of A Breaker Co.
“We are a little bit of everything,”
and decided to go after a big piece of the pie.
he said.
“I thought, why call the contractors.
So, I called on places like Texaco Oil
The PEARL connection
and asked if they had any surplus equipAlthough not a founding member of the
ment,” he said as he chuckled about his
organization, Bernard said he has long been
first-time efforts.
a chief supporter of the PEARL mission.
But, lopsided as his tactics may have
“PEARL is the direction people like
appeared, he did very well that summer
myself should be heading – an organizaand went back to the classroom with a
tion that can set rules and regulations
new vision.
that everyone has to live by. Then, you
“I got a call from the guys I had been
know you are getting a quality product,”
working with and they wanted me back.
he said.
Also, there was another teacher who
A voting member for the past five
would lose his job if I stayed, so I decided
years, Bernard says that much remains
to leave,” he said.
to be accomplished, but the testing stanIt wasn’t long after he began full time
dards of PEARL are a great start.
in the circuit breaker business that he
“One of the major issues I see for us
ventured out on his own.
is insurance. If we are a large group of
“I started my own company and was
people, it certainly provides a little more
doing quite well,” he said.
clout in negotiating rates,” he said.
Then, some personal situations
He said he looks forward to an opporwould wipe out all he had accomplished
tunity to attend the annual meeting in
and he would move back home.
May, which will be a short drive from his
“Eventually, my father took me aside
business at 16123 Cohasset St.,Van Nuys,
and said I had to make a decision – go
California
back to teaching or not go back, but make
“There are always new things in the
a decision, he said,” said Bernard.
game and PEARL provides a great way of
Soon, Bernard was back as an entrekeeping up,” he said. n
5
PEARLNEWS • Winter 2008
Visit to Southland
Electrical Supply
By Bill Schofield
Southland Electrical Supply
My most recent visit was to Burlington,
North Carolina, the home of Southland
Electrical Supply.
Located in a beautiful part of the
country, Southland has been around for
almost 30 years. PEARL member Mike
Griggs showed me around (and Don
West was there to say hi as well).
Southland has it going on. The phones
were ringing and people were busy
all over the place. I got to meet
Jim Griggs, Mike’s dad, who was
instrumental in many of the circuit
breaker businesses around today
including Circuit Breaker Sales (Jim
Griggs sold Finley one of his first big
deals from the demolition of a Celanese
plant).
Mike told me how his PEARL
involvement caused Southland to look
at their business model and the ways
they reconditioned and tested stuff. In
addition, Mike said their involvement
in PEARL has helped them do business
with other PEARL members that they
did not know prior to PEARL.
Southland always strives to buy from
members where possible and sells
on favorable terms as well (CBS just
bought some stuff from them).
I plan to visit again when I can spend
some more time. Watch out, I may be in
your neighborhood soon. n
6
NEMA Conference
Brian Lewis of Wildman Harold,
LLC (Representing SqD in their
Counterfeiting Litigations) and Clark
R. Silcox, NEMA General Counsel.
Basically, this panel presented the issue
of offshore knockoff circuit breakers being
manufactured in China; the dangers of the
product, the volume, the avenues into the
US. It was reported that India and Russia
are also large producers of counterfeit
breakers, but well into the 90 percentiles
of the product is coming from China. They
indicated that in the electrical arena the
problem is not limited to circuit breakers,
and not even to exclusively low voltage.
At one point the discussions turned
to how the material is distributed into the
U.S. Mr. Lewis described what SqD had
found in tracking down the individual
players bringing the material in and I,
for one, am convinced that there are very
few “innocent” players regardless of how
they are dealing with the litigation. It was
agreed by the panelists that “...the gray
market serves as the enablers in bringing
this material in…...”.
An interesting turn came when one of
the attendees broached the topic of reconditioned or remanufactured materials. He
was snarling when he offered his question,
hoping for an angry and assertive response,
but what he got back from the panel
seemed either politically correct (in honor
of the esteemed attendees from PEARL),
or honestly practical, by simply stating that
there are legitimate market requirements for
some reconditioned material. HONEST!.
Up until that moment I felt like a rabbit
on a shooting range. At the end of that
By Malcom Frederick and David Rosenfield
T
he NEMA conference was a very, very
good event to attend. PEARL had its
banner spread where hundreds of the
electrical industry elite could see that we
were there and represented ourselves well
and with confidence in our mission and
our place in industry.
This was not a trade show or exhibition,
but rather a conference with many speakers
and presenters. The physical arrangement
was such that each event was in a room
that required attendees to traverse through
a main hallway on their way to or from each
event. There were half a dozen table top
displays, each attended by representatives
of the product or service offered, all located
in that hall. We were one of those.
Malcom Fredrick and I were in attendance and “manned” our display table. We
were unable to attend the talks as there
was some traffic through the hall even
during events, with the rushes occurring
in between them. Attached is a list of individuals registered to attend. Almost all of
them did and if you take a good look, you
will see that Malcom and I enjoyed the
company of some of the biggest movers
and shakers in the electrical industry in
the US and globally as well.
Malcom and I agreed that one panel
discussion entitled “Fighting Counterfeit
and Substandard Products” was too important for us to miss so we left our table unattended in order to sit in on that session.
The Panel consisted of LT General Daniel
Christman, US Chamber of Commerce;
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
PEARLNEWS • Winter 2008
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
panel discussion, Malcom and I each went
and collared someone to talk to. I ended
up speaking to the entire panel in a casual
standing up environment, but left with the
business card from Clark Silcox, General
Counsel of NEMA. I expressed PEARL’s
position in support of efforts to tackle and
eliminate the distribution of electrical counterfeit products and asked them to include
PEARL in those efforts. He suggested I give
him a call next week to pursue the subject
further. For me, that paid for the conference.
It was well worth the price of admission.
Other speakers at the conference
included Dr. Lowell Catlett, Futurist;
Donna Brazile about whom I will make no
comment, thank you; Kenan Sahim, TIAX
LLC; Volker Hartkopf, Carnegie Mellon
University; John Mizroch, U.S. Dept.
of Energy; Dr. William DeVries, World
renowned heart surgeon and many more.
At our table top, Malcom and I spoke
to many, many folks. Among them were
ranking execs from Siemens, Eaton, Mexico,
Boltswitch, US EPA and many others. I
personally had a chance to speak with Volker
Hartkopf from Carnegie Mellon whose
research is into the area of REUSE! He found
our efforts to be intriguing and appropriate.
He was unaware of Professor Robert Lund of
Boston University and his work in the area
of remanufacturing. I promised to give him
contact information. n
Welcome New Members
Magna Electric Corporation
Brad Holt
Regina, CANADA
Satin America Corporation
PEARL News is instituting a section that will run
in all future issues, called Tech Talk. Each issue
we will offer a variety of technical questions.
Win by being the first to answer the questions
correctly. Winner will be acknowledged in the
next issue of PEARL News. Answers should be
e-mailed to pearl@pearl1.org with “Tech Talk”
in the subject line.
Leo DiSorbo
Shelton, CT
Pyrotex Services, Inc. (affiliate)
Tracey Siemasko
Bel Air, MD
Tech Talk Question #1 Name two specifications
that you can get from the manufactures curves?
Tech Talk Question #2 What issues occur due
to main contact pitting in thermal magnetic
breakers?
Tech Talk Question #3 Who was the founder of
what became General Electric?
Tech Talk Question #4 Name two men credited
with the invention of radio.
Tech Talk Question #5 What does ITE mean in
ITE circuit breakers?
PEARL congratulates Ken Bassett of
Potomac Testing, Inc., recipient of the
NETA 2007 Outstanding Achievement
Award! Kerry Heid of NETA (left)
and Ken Bassett (right).
7
PEARLNEWS • Winter 2008
PEARL: Getting Rid of Our
“Best-Kept-Secret” Status
By Winn Hardin
T
he first time you meet someone at
work, it’s pretty easy to figure out
what to do. You give them a friendly
smile, shake their hand, look them in the
eye, and figure out if this guy is part of the
solution, or another part of the problem.
But when you’re first contact is through a
bunch of written words, it’s tough to look
them in the eye, or figure out how hard to
grip the invisible handshake. I guess that’s
why I prefer personal introductions, and
look forward to this May when I’ll get to
shake all your hands for the first time at
the annual PEARL conference.
By way of introductions, my name
is Winn Hardin, and I’m the new guy in
PEARL’s marketing department. It’s my job
to help PEARL deliver on its promise “to
create a marketable distinction in quality,
safety, and integrity for PEARL members
in the eyes of their customers.” For the
past 10 years, PEARL members have diligently worked on dozens of electrical
apparatus remanufacturing and testing
standards. Now, it’s time to educate the
world on your efforts.
As Mr. Rosenfield mentioned in his
marketing column, our marketing efforts
have already begun. Through meetings
with PEARL members and additional
secondary research, we’ve helped to refine
the twin ‘messages’ of PEARL: reconditioned product saves money and the environment – when done properly.
The 2008 marketing plan calls for a
minimum of 12 press releases (one per
month) and another eight press briefings with key trade publication editors
and associations. Like the press releases,
the press briefings will educate the media
so they can help us teach their audiences about PEARL and the benefits of
the PEARL approach to reconditioned
product.
Each release and briefing will help us
spread the word about PEARL and achieve
our long-term goals of public awareness,
PEARL branding, and third-party acceptance of our standards by key regulatory
institutions, but they’ll also have shortterm benefits. We’ll use the meetings as
a way to increase the value we deliver
to our existing members by identifying
8
Trade Association Committee
By Don Oldroyd
Below are events that PEARL will attend
as an exhibitor in 2008 to promote PEARL
and its mission.
Electric West
February 27–29, 2008 • Las Vegas, NV
PowerTest (NETA)
March 17–20, 2008 • New Orleans, LA
Florida Assoc. of Electrical Contractors
April 3–6, 2008 • Tampa, FL
R. Winn Hardin
editorial opportunities that members can
use to promote their technical skills, as
well as extend the PEARL brand.
To identify the right PEARL members
to join me on each briefing and create the
best pitch, I plan to create a short email
survey that will be crucial to learning more
about you – the companies that make up
PEARL – and your existing relationships
with other trade associations, the media,
your capabilities, and goals. Perhaps
most importantly, I’ll be asking about
your success stories. A sentence or two
that summarizes the time you saved the
local utility or a manufacturer $500,000
by finding, reconditioning, and testing a
discontinued bus, relay, or transformer.
These are the bullets in my bandolier
when it comes to publicity, so please don’t
be stingy. I like to shoot a lot.
I’m running a bit long here, so I’ll
wrap it up. I’ll go into greater depth on
our PR strategy during a presentation at
the May conference, “How to Publicize
Your Company, PEARL, and Leverage
of the Media.” Until then, feel free to
contact me with any suggestion, want, or
crazy idea at 904.246.8958, or by email at
winn@hardingroup.com.
And Thanks for the job.
PS, For anyone that’s wondering a
bit about who I am, I’ve been a technical
journalist covering the electrical, electronics, industrial automation, and optical
industries since 1996, most recently as
regular contributor to NFPA’s magazine,
NEC Digest. Before that, I was an editor/
reporter for several newspapers, a newscaster for a Chicago radio station, and
publicist for companies in the Chicago
and San Diego areas. n
Electrical Safety & Reliability (PEARL)
May 3–6, 2008 • Costa Mesa, CA
Investment Recovery Association (IRA)
May 19–21, 2008 • Clear Lake, TX
EASA
June 22–24, 2008 • Dallas, TX
NECA
October 4–7, 2008 • Chicago, IL
Finepoint
October 6–10, 2008 • Pittsburgh, PA
IEC Electric Expo
October 30–31, 2008 • Atlanta, GA
Illuminations (NEMA)
Oct. 31–Nov. 1, 2008 • Washington, DC
If you feel there are other worthwhile
events PEARL should consider attending,
please let us know the pertinent details.
We hope you will consider working the
PEARL booth along with other members.
This provides an outstanding opportunity
for networking.
PEARLNEWS • Winter 2008
Marketing Committee Report
By David Rosenfield
PEARL has retained the services of Mr.
Winn Hardin of the Hardin Group. Winn
specializes in marketing communications
and has spent his career to date in both
electrical and electronics. We expect Winn
to revamp our existing marketing messages
and methods. He has already begun by
interviewing a number of our members.
Likely he will find reason to speak with all of
our members over time. I fully expect much
greater integration between our marketing,
advertising, internet face and generally all of
our outreach efforts as a result of his advice.
We are very excited about his work with us.
Membership Committee Report
By Brian Corekin
Membership and interest in our
organization continue to grow. The
new year should give us many more
opportunities to show the electrical
supply industry how many ways PEARL
creates reliable and valuable resources.
In addition to creating marketing
strategies, Winn is a wonderful writer. We
expect him to be creating press releases,
editorials and public relations pieces to
run in magazines and will help us get
them published. Look for PEARL, not so
much in colorful ad pages, but in the print
going forward.
We will need volunteers to be interviewed
or offer up stories more than ever. If you
have even an idea about something,
technical, green, human interest, great
save, industrial or political that effects or
could be effected by PEARL, please get
me your ideas and I will put you and Winn
together.
As of December, 2007, our membership
totals 47 voting businesses, including
five new members —Magna Electric,
The Motor Control Center, Norsal, Rocky
Mountain Electric and Satin America.
Additionally, we have 13 affiliate members
with new additions AEMC, Pyrotex and
Volunteer Equip.
Associate memberships remain at five.
Ways and Means Committee
By Malcom Frederick
The Ways and Means committee has
submitted its 2008 proposal for review.
This proposal hosts a variety of ideas
to increase PEARL 2008 revenue and
clarify membership certifications. We
are looking to release more information
on the complete committee proposal in
January 2008.
Supporting committee members are Billy
Cope of Quality Switchgear and Adam
Tappe of National Switchgear. Anyone
wanting to participate in the Ways and
Means committee, please contact one of
the committee members above.
The first official committee meeting will
be at 2 p.m. CST January 17, 2008.
Mission Statement: The Ways and
Means committee is committed to
develop new ideas, plans, processes
and funds to increase PEARL’s annual
revenue to assist for new development in
the PEARL organization.
9
Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League
4255 South Buckley Road, #118 • Aurora, CO 80013
Phone: (877) AT-PEARL • Fax: (888) 996-3296
E-mail: Pearl@pearl1.org • Web: www.pearl1.org
MEMBERSHIP
ROSTER
Winter 2008
Voting Members
All Current Electrical Sales
Robert J. Nabrzeski, Jr.
1599 Admiral Wilson Blvd.
Camden, NJ 08109
Phone: (800) 223-0483
Fax: (856) 365-8866
bob@allcurrent.com
www.allcurrent.com
Astro Controls, Inc.
Chris Comire
P.O. Box 541222
Dallas, TX 75354
Phone: (972) 253-7783
Fax: (972) 253-1577
ccomire@astrocontrols.com
www.astrocontrols.com
Belyea Co., Inc.
Stephen Belyea
2200 Northwood Avenue
Easton, PA 18045
Phone: (610) 515-8775
Fax: (610) 258-1230
sales@belyeapower.com
www.belyeapower.com
Bernard & Sons
Gary Bernard
16123 Cohasset St.
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Phone: (818) 787-9303
Fax: (818) 787-9367
garybernard@socal.rr.com
Bruce Electric Equipment
Corp.
Bruce Hasnas
131 Akron Street
P.O. Box 558
Lindenhurst, NY 11757
Phone: (631) 226-2424
Fax: (631) 226-8772
bee@brucelectric.com
www.brucelectric.com
Bush Sales & Mfg., Inc.
Norman Feulner
827 S 500 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Phone: (801) 322-1058
Fax: (801) 322-1060
norm@bushsales.com
www.bushsales.com
Central Valley Electric Supply
Chuck Thornton
4747 24th Street
Sacramento, CA 95822
Phone: (916) 457-1601
Fax: (916) 457-3516
chuck@cves.net
www.cves.net
10
Circuit Breaker Sales Co., Inc.
Bill Schofield
P.O. Box 1098
Gainesville, TX 76240
Phone: (940) 665-4444
Fax: (940) 665-4681
bschofield@cbsales.com
www.circuitbreakersales.com
Business: Sell and repair
all types of electrical power
distribution equipment.
Coastal Switchgear and
Controls, Inc.
Malcom Frederick
P.O. Box 1451
Lake Jackson, TX 77599-1451
Phone: (979) 848-1406
Fax: (979) 848-0012
malcom@coastalswitchgear.com
www.coastalswitchgear.com
R.L. Cook Sales & Supply Co.
Ronald J. Cook
8814 14th Avenue So.
Seattle, WA 98108
Phone: (206) 763-8777
Fax: (206) 762-6729
rjc@rlcook.com
www.rlcook.com
Business: Wholesale
redistributor (buying and
selling) of quality industrial
electrical supplies — industrial
electrical fittings, motor controls,
distribution equipment and
lighting.
D&F Liquidators, Inc.
Greg Womble
1810 W. Winton Avenue
P.O. Box 4717
Hayward, CA 94540-4717
Phone: (510) 785-9600
Fax: (510) 785-6210
greg@dfliq.com
www.dfliq.com
Business: Buyers and suppliers
of electrical construction
material.
Denver Breaker and Supply
Tyler Bagley
4901 Ironton Street
Denver, CO 80239
Phone: (303) 431-0518
Fax:  (303) 431-0288
tyler@denverbreaker.com
www.denverbreaker.com
Eastern Electrical Liquidators
Robert C. Carr
1511-37 No. 26th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19121
Phone: (800) 523-3818
Fax: (215) 235-5339
sales@eastelec.com
www.eastelec.com
Electric Equipment Corp. of
Virginia
Steve Westerman
945 V Street NE
Washington, DC 20018
Phone: (202) 269-1910
Fax: (202) 269-1896
ggem@erols.com
EMSCO
Tim Bullock
4650 Main Street NE
Fridley, MN 55421
Phone: (763) 571-9005
Fax: (763) 571-9184
tbullock@emscomn.com
www.emscomn.com
Business: Buying and selling
used industrial electrical
equipment, specializing in bus
duct, MCC, dry transformers and
motors.
Instel Power Products
Stuart Jackson
303A Greer Drive
Simpsonville, SC 29681
Phone: (864) 963-1856
Fax: (864) 963-1898
Cell: (864) 230-0007
sjackson@instelpower.com
www.instelpower.com
Business: Buy, sell and repair
all types of electrical power
distribution equipment
Magna Electric Corporation
Brad Holt
2361 Industrial Drive
Regina, SK S4P 3B2
CANADA
Phone: 306-530-9802
Fax: 306-522-9181
bholt@magnaelectric.com
www.magnaelectric.com
Miami Breaker, Inc.
Federico Anselmetti
7060 NW 52nd Street
Miami, FL 33166
Phone: (800) 941-1112
Fax: (888) 941-1112
fanselmetti@miamibreaker.com
www.miamibreaker.com
Monster Fuses
Brian Corekin
5440 SE 26th Avenue
Portland, OR 97202
Phone: (503) 238-7732
Fax: (503) 238-7731
blc@monsterfuses.com
www.monsterfuses.com
The Motor Control Center, LLC
Mike Roman
4019 Windgap Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15204
Phone: (412) 331-6555
Fax: (412) 331-7350
roman@aaron-steel.com
www.electricalcontactkits.com
National Switchgear Systems,
Inc.
Robert Koren
649 Franklin Street
Lewisville, TX 75057
Phone: (972) 420-0149
Fax: (972) 420-0938
Robert@nationalswitchgear.com
www.nationalswitchgear.com
Norsal Distribution
Associates, Inc.
Salvatore Moscato
P.O. Box 264
High Bridge, NJ  08829-0264
Phone: (908) 638-8900
Fax: (908) 638-8800
sal@norsalnda.com
www.norsalnda.com
North American Switchgear,
Inc.
Robert S. Jordan
12502 Berea Road
Cleveland, OH 44111
Phone: (800) 909-3660
Fax: (216) 941-3121
sales@naswgr.com
www.naswgr.com
Business: Buy, sell and trade
large circuit breakers and
substation switchgear.
Northwest Circuit Breakers,
Inc.
Craig Archer
206 Frontage Road No., #B-2
Pacific, WA 98047
Phone: (888) 395-2021
Fax: (253) 735-3110
craig@nwcircuitbreakers.com
www.nwcircuitbreakers.com
Pacific Coast Breaker
Randy R. McAyeal
4134 Forcum Avenue
McClellan, CA 95652
Phone: (916) 920-3757
Fax: (916) 920-3668
craig@pacificcoastbreaker.com
www.pacificcoastbreaker.com
Business: Wholesale dist. of
circuit breakers and related
services, mounting hardware,
Klockner-Moeller motor control;
master dist. of Hoyt replacement
contacts.
Potomac Testing, Inc.
Ken Bassett
4831 Telsa Drive. Suite A
Bowie, MD 20715
Phone: (301) 352-1930
Fax: (301) 352-1936
kbassett@potomactesting.com
www.potomactesting.com
Quality Switchgear, Inc.
Billy Cope
P.O. Box 530 • 13273 South
Interstate 35
Valley View, TX 76272
Phone (800) 421-5082
Fax (940) 726-3429
bcope@qualityswitchgear.net
www.qualityswitchgear.net
RG Industries
Ron Gamino
13259 East 166th Street
Cerritos, CA 90703-2203
Phone (562) 483-7100
Fax (562) 483-7115
ron@rgindustries.net
www.rgindustries.net
Oregon Breakers, Inc.
Stephen Reames
3365 SE 17th Ave
Portland, OR 97202-2850
Phone (503) 736-0921
Fax (503) 736-0924
stephen@oregonbreakers.com
www.oregonbreakers.com
RMS Electric, Inc.
J. Michael Epstein
1802 Nance Street
Houston, TX 77020-5723
Phone: (713) 236-1200
Fax: (713) 236-8306
Bob@RMS-Electric.com
www.RMS-Electric.com
P&F Supply Co.
Michael Pennell
1135 Broadway N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Phone: (616) 454-3586
Fax: (616) 235-3113
mike@pfsupply.com
www.pfsupply.com
ROMAC
David B. Rosenfield
7400 Bandini Blvd.
City of Commerce, CA 90040
Phone: (323) 721-5810
Fax: (323) 722-6642
dbr@romacsupply.com
www.romacsupply.com
Business: Remanufacturer,
service, repair and rentals of
industrial electrical components
and systems; manufacturer
of low and medium voltage
switchboards, switchgear,
substations and motor control.
Voting Members
Rocky Mountain Electrical
and Automation
Rockne Rhodes
2190 S Kalamath St
Denver, CO 80223-4009
Phone: (800) 394-4232
Fax: (303) 937-9665
rockne@rockymountainelectrical.com
www.rockymountainelectrical.com
Romanoff Industries, Inc.
Jack (Jay) Romanoff III
1400 Woodville Road • P.O. Box 699
Toledo, OH 43697
Phone: (419) 691-2888
Fax: (419) 691-7837
jrri@romanoffindustries.com
www.romanoffindustries.com
Satin America Corporation
Leo DiSorbo
40 Oliver Terrace
Shelton, CT 06418
Phone: 203-929-6363
Fax: 203-929-9684
leod@satinamerican.com
www.satinamerican.com
Second Circuits Corp.
Chad Atkinson
P.O. Box 1336
Morgan City, LA 70381
Phone: (337) 785-9333
Fax: (337) 785-9343
cda11@hotmail.com
Business: Buying and selling control
parts, breakers, transformers, generators;
UL motor rewind, OEM specialty buildups,
motor control, new and rebuilt voltage
regulators.
Shermco Industries, Inc.
Ron Widup
2425 E. Pioneer Drive
Irving, TX 75061
Phone: (972) 793-5523
Fax: (972) 793-5542
rwidup@shermco.com
www.shermco.com
Southern Electical Resources, Inc.
Don Oldroyd
5800 Oakbrook Parkway, Suite C
Norcross, GA 30093
Phone: (770) 263-6600
Fax: (770) 263-6619
doldroyd@southernelectricalresources.com
www.southernelectricalresources.com
Southland Electrical Supply Company
Mike Griggs
P.O. Box 1329 • 147 North Main Street
Burlington, NC 27216
Phone: (336) 227-1486
Fax: (336) 222-1065
mikegriggs@southlandelectrical.com
www.southlandelectrical.com
Southwestern Electrical Sales, Inc.
Ben Stringer
3300 Conflans Road
Irving, TX 75061-6340
Phone: (972) 514-0311
Fax: (972) 513-0319
swelecsale@aol.com
www.southwesternelectricalsales.com
(con’t.)
Sunbelt Transformer
Randall Maddox
1922 So. MLK Jr. Drive
Temple, TX 76504
Phone: (800) 433-3128
Fax: (254) 771-5719
rmaddox@sunbeltusa.com
www.sunbeltusa.com
Technitrol, Inc.
Jim Feilbach
W129 N10930 Washington Drive
Germantown, WI 53022
Phone: (262) 512-7700
Fax: (262) 512-1226
jimf@technitrolinc.com
www.technitrolinc.com
Toomanyamps.com
Neal Winard
6175 Stevenson Way
Las Vegas, NV 89120
Phone: (702) 456-4508
Fax: (702) 456-8741
neal@toomanyamps.com
www.toomanyamps.com
U.S. Electric Supply Co., Inc.
William McFerrin
915 Glenwood Ave.
P.O. Box 160279
Atlanta, GA 30316-0279
Phone: (404) 622-9191
Fax: (404) 624-4550
sales@usesco.com
Business: Redistributor of electrical
material, primarily industrial. Buy and sell
all types of fittings, low voltage circuit
breakers, motor control and related items.
Voyten Electric
Thomas Nightingale
Old Route 8 Pecan Hill
P.O. Box 361
Franklin, PA 16323
Phone: (800) 458-4001
Fax: (814) 432-7922
info@voyten.com
www.voyten.com
Business: New, used and rebuilt
electrical equipment — air and molded
case breakers, switchgear, contactors,
transformers (in most voltages); Siemens
distributor for low and medium voltage
switchgear and components.
Western Enterprises
Paul Hornsveld
2965 Durahart
Riverside, CA 92507
Phone: (800) 344-0113
Fax: (909) 683-2514
westernentrprise@aol.com
www.ea-online.com/western/
Western States Circuit Breakers, Inc.
Ken Neider
P.O. Box 3068
1498 Curtis Ave.
Idaho Falls, ID 83403
Phone: (208) 523-0237
Fax: (208) 522-4221
wscbi@ida.net
Affiliate Members
AEMC Instruments
John Olobri
Director of Sales &
Marketing
200 Foxborough Blvd.
Foxborough, MA  02035
Phone: (508) 698-2115
Fax: (508) 698-2117
jolobri@aemc.com
www.aemc.com
Cadick Corp.
John Cadick
P.O. Box 495578
Garland, TX 75049-5578
Phone: (972) 240-1594
Fax: (214) 722-0070
jcadick@cadickcorp.com
www.cadickcorp.com
The Electrical
Advertiser
Richard Goelz
6500 Brooklyn Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 554291755
Phone: (800) 328-0328
Fax: (763) 566-4826
info@ea-online.com
www.ea-online.com
Electrical Apparatus
Elsie Dickson
400 North Michigan Ave.
Suite 900
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 321-9440
Fax: (312) 321-1288
eamagazine@aol.com
Electrical Test
Instruments, Inc.
Kenneth McComas
1301 Avondale Rd
New Windsor, MD 21776
Phone: (410) 857-1880
Fax: (410) 857-1387
kmccomas@etiinc.com
www.etiinc.com
Global Power Supply
Richard Smith
5383 Hollister Avenue
Suite 220
Santa Barbara, CA  93111
Phone: (805) 683-3828
www.globalpwr.net
Industrial Market Place
Joel Wineberg
7842 No. Lincoln Avenue
Skokie, IL 60077
Phone: (800) 323-1818
Fax: (847) 676-0063
joel@industrialmktpl.com
www.industrialmktpl.com
Congresswoman
Lucille Roybal-Allard
U.S. Congresswoman
33rd District
Los Angeles, CA
www.house.gov/
roybal-allard
Phenix Technologies
Paul Winter
116 Industrial Drive
Accident, MD 21520
Phone: (301) 746-8118
Fax: (301) 895-5570
info@phenixtech.com
www.phenixtech.com
Pyrotex Services, Inc.
Tracey Siemasko
728 Belair Road #112
Bel Air, MD 21014
Phone: 410-420-2156
Fax: 410-420-2158
info@pyrotex.net
www.pyrotex.net
Sentinel Power
Services, Inc.
Greg Ellis
7517 E Pine St
Tulsa, OK 74115
Phone: (918) 359-0350
Fax: (918) 359-0357
gellis@sentinel
powerservices.com
www.sentinelpower
services.com.
The Surplus Record
Thomas C. Scanlan
20 No. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 372-9077
Fax: (312) 372-6537
surplus@surplusrecord.com
www.surplusrecord.com
TEGG Corporation
Stephen R Laskey
125 Sierra Sunrise Way
Auburn, CA  95603-3260
Phone (530) 745-0358
Fax (530) 745-0359
slaskey@tegg.com
www.tegg.com
Utility Relay Co.
Drew Binder
10100 Queens Way
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
Phone: (440) 708-1000
Fax: (440) 708-1177
dbinder@utilityrelay.com
www.utilityrelay.com
Volunteer Equipment
and Supply
Chris Seay
1630 Maryville Pike
Knoxville, TN 37920
Phone: (865) 573-7768
Fax: (865) 577-3105
chris@volequip.com
www.volequip.com
Associate Members
A & J Electric Cable Corp.
Gerald T Reilly
1932 W. Winton Ave., #9
Hayward, CA 94545
Phone: (510) 786-2700
Fax: (510) 785-9680
ajcable@pacbell.net
www.aandjcable.com
Breaker and Control Co., Inc.
Thad E. Davis III
8151 Almeda Genoa Road
Houston, TX 77075-2555
Phone: (800) 892-9246
Fax: (713) 991-0451
sales@breakerandcontrol.com
www.breakerandcontrol.com
E-M-E Sales, Inc.
Kim Paull
1669 W. 130th St.
Hinkley, OH 44233
Phone: (330) 598-0676
Fax: (330) 598-0684
eme-equip@adelphia.net
General Equipment & Supply
Robert Hall
P.O. Box 80489
3423 Fork Shoals Road
Simpsonville, SC 29680-0009
Phone: (864) 243-5452
Fax: (864) 243-5204
rhall@gequip.com
www.gequip.com
Electrical Service Products, Inc.
Wayne A. Burley
110 N. Greene Street
Spokane, WA 99202
Phone: (509) 535-5360
Fax: (509) 535-3632
w.burley@espelectrical.com
www.espelectrical.com
11
Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League
4255 South Buckley Road, #118
Aurora, CO 80013
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
for the 2008 conference
11th Electrical Safety and Reliability
Conference & Exhibition
May 3–6, 2008
Westin South Coast Plaza
Costa Mesa, California
HIGHLIGHTED SPEAKERS
Ted Garrison, CSP • Garrison Associates
R Winn Hardin • The HardinGroup
Alan M. Mirman Esq. • Horgan, Rosen, Beckham &
Coren, LLC
Brian Monks • UL
Clark R. Silcox • National Electrical Manufacturers
Association (NEMA)
Square D representatives
Register early and save $100 at
www.pearl1.org
PRSRT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
DENVER, CO
PERMIT NO. 904